At first, it was the most beautiful sight in the world, Veshier standing there, brandishing his blade, the set of his shoulders strong. Then, it seeped in that she'd have to explain what had happened. That he would blame her, hate her. She loved him, but when that feeling flowed out of her, it had nowhere to go.
The Bond they'd once shared, was gone. Muted. It felt like a cut off limb, bleeding and burning with pain. The pain was so loud, she couldn't feel anything else.
Sahimul, the Usurper, released her and spun around to face Veshier. Linarra sank to her knees, crushed by all the unspoken things, all the things she couldn't tell Veshier. Wouldn't tell him. At least, not right then. Surely he knew the bond was severed.
"Linarra!" Veshier called out. "Move away from this...this -creature-."
"Sahimul," the Usurper corrected. "And put that thing away," he gestured to the sword. "Unless, of course, you want to kill both me and your Priestess." He looked so smug, folding his arms over his chest, cocking a brow at Veshier who trembled with what she assumed was pent-up fury.
"He's right," Linarra called out, though in the moment, she wondered if it weren't the right thing to do, for Veshier to kill the Usurper and kill her too. If the Usurper would even die. She'd seen what he'd done to that man from the Brotherhood. He'd dashed his head to pieces. She didn't think she could bear it if he did that to Veshier.
Veshier shook his head, either in confusion or denial. Linarra wished she could sense how he was feeling. She wished she could know. Instead, the Usurper's feelings broadcast through her mind as though he were whispering in her ear. Sahimul felt smug and victorious, amused. Annoyed. She didn't know what to do. She could try and explain. It would be the right thing to do.
Instead, what came out of her mouth was, "I don't know what happened, Veshier. I woke up here. The Brotherhood had awakened the...the Usurper. And with their foul magic bonded us. He can't hurt me. But I can't hurt him either. If you try...if you hurt him, it will hurt me too. We tested it." It all spilled out of her in a rush. Immediately, she wanted to sink into the stone, to drop over dead.
Sahimul shot her an amused look, his brow cocked. She was sure he'd ruin it, tell Veshier she was lying.
"What the Priestess says is true," the Usurper said, much to her surprise. "I'm as much in the dark as she is. And while I do doubt I can die, you don't want to hurt your little Priestess, do you?"
It wasn't exactly gratitude she felt. Even if she was glad that Sahimul backed up her lie. She didn't understand -why- he did it. She stared at Veshier, to see if he believed it. His blade wavered and his chin drooped to his chest. He sheathed his blade.
"Linarra...our Bond...," he trailed off, keeping his back to the entrance as if he would flee at any moment. "Are you unharmed?"
"I'm all right," she said, lying again. Everything hurt. She just wanted to sleep for a hundred years so that when she woke, this nightmare would be over. She didn't say anything about the Bond. It was broken. She didn't know how to fix it. She didn't want to talk about it.
"She's NOT all right. She's in horrible pain, hungry, injured in various ways, and very tired. What a terrible Guardian you are! Since it's clearly -my- job now, I intend on remedying all of that," Sahimul boasted, lifting his sharp chin.
Linarra gaped at him. Why would he out one lie and not the other? What game was he playing at?
Veshier's face reddened, and he turned to face her, visibly turning his attention away from the Usurper. "Step away from...from that thing. We'll go back to the Temple."
"Oh! We're going to the Temple? Perhaps I'll destroy it. They call me the 'Destroyer' all the time, better make good on the moniker." Sahimul looked around, peering at the altar with a wrinkled nose. Tsk'ing. He did hate it, he wasn't lying. She could feel it. But he hated the Temple too. He would destroy it. They couldn't go there. Besides, what if the High Priestess found out it was really her who freed the Usurper?
Linarra winced. "I don't know, Veshier. He'll know where the Temple is. Maybe we should figure things out first."
Her Guardian sputtered, still red-faced. "Linarra!" he admonished. "Figure things out? What do you mean? That THING is the Usurper! He must be vanquished. Destroyed!"
Every harsh word made her flinch. "Maybe," she said in a meek voice.
"He's already corrupted you utterly," Veshier despaired, his tone low, broken sounding.
"He has -not-. But maybe there's another way. If you destroy him, you'll destroy me too. Maybe I don't want to be destroyed!" She wasn't entirely sure if that were true or not. Maybe she did. She didn't know. "I think...I think we should try redemption first."
This time, it was Sahimul who laughed and sputtered and acted incredulous. "Redemption?! From -what- precisely? I didn't do anything! All you pathetic mortals just decided that I was evil and should be imprisoned. That I was the Usurper, the Destroyer. How can you be so sure your Temple is right, hmm? You haven't even bothered asking me!"
Strange feelings rippled along the bond. Linarra found he was being largely sincere, but he had guilt. Shame, maybe. He certainly felt bad about something. And he was lying, but only a little. She just couldn't tell about what.
"Silence, Abomination!" Veshier howled, looking as though he were about to have a nervous breakdown. "Linarra, you can't mean that. He can't be redeemed!"
Now, she felt defiant and raised her own chin, even if Veshier couldn't see it. "That's not what scripture says. It says there is no one that can't be redeemed with the Mother's love."
Sahimul snorted and rolled his burning eyes. "How delightful. Maybe you should reconsider destroying me. Sounds less painful. Go on, Guardian. Put your sword right through me! Save us both from this drivel."
As if he only needed a little provocation, Veshier reached for the hilt of his blade strapped to his back. Linarra wondered if he'd really do it, knowing it would kill her. She stepped between them, holding out her arms. She couldn't take much more of this. The stink of the gore slicking the floor of the cavern, her pain and exhaustion. Everything was falling apart. "Stop. Just stop. Please."
It came over her, weakness, exhaustion. Her knees wobbled. She hated herself so fiercely that it convinced her that the only reason she still stood was her spite towards herself. It was the only fuel that lit her fires and it was quickly fizzling out. Linarra swayed where she stood.
Sahimul had opened his mouth for what was likely another volley of childish insults against Veshier until her vision tunneled. He spun to face her, brow knotted over his fiery gaze. "You're not well," he grumbled. "She's not at all well. So. Enough posturing. I know another way out. Through the stone. It opens to a clearing."
"We're not following you, Abomination," Veshier snarled.
For a horrible moment, she thought they might fight over who was going to help her. She didn't want that. She didn't even want anyone helping her. Linarra wanted only to lay down in the muck and close her eyes and wake back in the Temple this having been a terrible nightmare.
"We're going to go with him, Veshier," she said weakly, hating the weakness, vowing that she'd never let herself become this weak again. She had to find the strength, somehow, someway to right this wrong. She'd die trying.
Veshier's face almost crumpled before it was unreadable stone again. His shoulders stooped. She didn't need the Bond between him to tell her how disappointed he was in her. In everything she was doing and saying. It was obvious, but she was too tired to plead her case.
Before she could protest, Sahimul effortlessly lifted her into his arms. "You smell like a barn," he told her. "I should toss you into a lake."
"I can't swim," she said, her entire body feeling as though she were wearing a suit made of hair. The Usurper was -touching- her. It made her skin want to flee her bones. And it didn't. At the same time. Either way, she was too exhausted to do anything about it.
Sahimul seemed amused with the whole thing and began to walk to the back of the cavern, carefully side-stepping puddles of ichor and blood. "I've missed the sky," he told her softly. "I wonder how long I was imprisoned?" he mused.
She didn't answer, she just sat stiffly in his embrace and craned her neck to see if Veshier were following. He wasn't. "Veshier...the Brotherhood could return!" she called out to him.
"Pah, ignore him. What a sanctimonious jerk! You don't need him. I'm effectively your Guardian now. And I assure you, I'm much stronger. Far more powerful. And better company. Obviously." Sahimul gave her a little squeeze.
Linarra bit her bottom lip, trying not to scream or cry. "Please Veshier!" she cried out.
To her great relief, he reluctantly began to trudge after them.